2.12 How do I make my own circuit boards?
Description
This article is from the alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt Frequently Asked Questions. It is maintained by Mark Sokos (msokos1@gl.umbc.edu) with many contributions from others.
2.12 How do I make my own circuit boards?
There are several methods available. Most involve etching, where a mask is drawn or transferred onto copper clad board, and the board is immersed or sprayed by an etching solution. Boards and etchant can be purchased at most electronics hobby stores, and various manufacturers products are available via mail order. Some methods use iron-on transfers, and others use a photo-etching process. There is even a method using conductive ink and laser printers. Some people have reported good results using Vector wire and Verowire (UK). These methods are more similar to wire wrapping than PCB fabrication.
PCB FAQ written by Vincent Himpe (vincent.himpe@ping.be) at http://www.ping.be/~ping0751
PCB FAQ: http://cal003109.student.utwente.nl/stefan/elin the PCB section.
DynaArt Designs, 3535 Stillmeadow Lane, Lancaster, CA 93536 Voice: (805) 943-4746, FAX: (805) 943-3776 E-Mail: dynaart@netport.com Web Site http://www.dynaart.com Home of the "Toner Transfer System"
Coffman Enterprises, http://www.cdh.net/scoff Email: scoff @cdh.net. PerfectBoard purple paper process to make printed circuit boards.
Electrolube : Photo Resist, developer, Lacquer , Nickel spray, Etchant Electrolube Limited,Blakes Road,Wargrave,Berkshire,RG10 8AW U.K. Tel. +44 1734 404031 Fax + 44 1734 403084
Isel: Etchant ,plating solution etching equipment etc. Isel Automation, 6419 Eiterfeld 1,Germany
Sifco : Plating Pen, 5708 Schaaf Rd. Cleveland OH 44131 USA Tel +1 216 524 0099 Fax +1 216 524 6331
Vero Electronics can be contacted in the US on 1-800-242-2863.
Circuit Works Conductive Pen is available from Ocean State Electronics, (800) 866-6626. The catalog number is CW2200
Also see the section entitled "Where can I get schematic drawing, circuit simulators, schematic capture programs, and PCB layout software?". Some of the software packages are designed to allow the user to enter a schematic, test the circuit, and provide an output that can then be used to directly fabricate the PCB (either an electronic format or an actual printout that can be used for etching).
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